I use a competency matrix every time I prepare for a performance review or coach a client who wants a promotion. It’s a simple tool, but when you build it with care it does three important things: it makes your achievements visible, ties them to the skills managers care about, and builds a clear case for why you’re promotion-ready. Below I’ll walk you through how I create a competency matrix, how to map your achievements to it, and how to turn that matrix into persuasive talking points and evidence for your next review — with examples that work in the UK context.
What is a competency matrix (and why it helps)
A competency matrix is a table that lists the key competencies for your role or the one you want, and maps concrete evidence of your performance to each competency. Think of it as a cross-check: competencies down the left, proof across the right. It forces you to stop using vague language (“I contributed to projects”) and instead record specific outcomes (“reduced churn by 12% in Q3”).
Why I recommend it:
Start with the right competencies
Don’t guess. Use job descriptions, your company’s competency framework, or the person specification for the role above you. If none exist, I advise starting with common leadership and role-specific competencies:
For graduate or junior roles, swap leadership for collaboration and problem solving. For senior roles, emphasise strategic thinking and business impact.
How I structure the matrix
I build a simple table with four columns: Competency, Example of behaviour, Concrete evidence / metric, and Development actions. Here’s a sample you can copy into Word or Google Docs.
| Competency | Example behaviour | Evidence / Metric | Development actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stakeholder management | Builds trust with cross-functional partners and resolves conflicts | Led weekly project syncs with Product & Sales; reduced escalation tickets by 40% (Jan–Mar) | Shadow senior PM in strategic partner meeting; take negotiation training |
| Delivery & project management | Delivers projects on time and within scope | Delivered onboarding automation project 2 weeks early; cut manual workload by 10 hours/week | Get PRINCE2 Foundation refresher; use Asana templates to scale delivery |
| Leadership | Coaches team, handles performance conversations | Conducted 1:1s and introduced peer feedback loop; team engagement score +8% | Complete internal coaching course; mentor a junior analyst |
Gathering evidence — what counts and where to find it
When I’m building a matrix, I look for evidence in three places:
Keep file links in your matrix or a separate folder. During a review, you can say “Here’s the report that shows a 12% drop in churn” and quickly share it. Evidence that’s easy to retrieve looks far more credible than claims you can’t back up.
How to turn achievements into promotion-ready statements
Managers and promotion panels look for outcomes and potential. I teach clients to use this sentence formula:
Example: “I led the onboarding automation project across Product and Ops, reducing manual workload by 10 hours per week and enabling the team to handle 20% more volume — demonstrating delivery and stakeholder leadership required at the next level.”
That format takes a raw achievement and makes it explicitly relevant to the role you want.
Dealing with gaps in your matrix
If a competency column looks empty, don’t panic. Use short-term stretch goals to fill it:
Put those actions into the Development actions column and set deadlines. Managers appreciate a plan — it shows ownership of your progression.
Preparing your review pack from the matrix
I usually prepare a one-page summary for my manager and a two-page attachment with the matrix and linked evidence. The one-pager includes:
Share this pack 48 hours before your review. That gives your manager time to read and gives you a calmer conversation — you’re not scrambling to remember specifics in the meeting.
Using the matrix to negotiate scope and compensation
Once you’ve mapped competencies and evidence, you can make specific requests. I teach clients to link the ask to business benefit. For example:
Be prepared to offer measurable milestones that demonstrate continued impact. Managers are more likely to agree to a structured progression plan than to an open-ended request.
Practical tips I use and recommend
Applied consistently, a competency matrix shifts your performance review conversation from “what I did” to “why it matters” — and that shift is what turns achievements into promotions.
